The 43-year-old was brought up in care and began committing offences when he was young.
Since the first time he was jailed he has received sentences totalling 42 years for a variety of crimes including theft and possession of drugs. The final offence was for armed robbery. However, since release in 2007 Drew has managed to kick crack cocaine and heroin habits, and is now relishing his volunteer positions for a variety of Manchester charities.
Drew, who volunteers for the Greater Manchester Community Chaplaincy (GMCC) three days a week, said: “Offending was a way of life for me and prison was an occupational hazard and I took it in my stride.
“I make no excuses, I don’t blame the people I hung around with for getting me into trouble, my actions were responsible for how I ended up. “I started using heroin and crack when I was 25. It was only during my last sentence that I’d had enough.”
Drew’s last sentence was for seven years, after he held up a post office while high on drugs.
He said: “I wouldn’t say ‘boo’ to a goose now, I cringe when I look back on what I did, but it wasn’t until I completed a victim awareness course in Maidstone Prison that I really started to think about how my actions affected other people. “When I robbed the place I didn’t even think about the victim, nor about my family.
I only attended the course because I knew it’d help my parole, but during it I had to put myself in the position of the victim and it made me consider the way my life was heading.”
Drew also began an NVQ Level 3 course at the prison in information and guidance, and worked as a resettlement advisor – all of which occupied him and gave him direction. He said: “The NVQ was brilliant and I really enjoyed helping prisoners, when I was released I took up voluntary positions doing something similar and I get a real buzz out of it. I’d spent 15 years being homeless. I had my sleeping bag and a penny whistle and it helped me earn a few quid busking, it was actually a good time in my life. I’ve lived the life the people I meet are living so can speak to them on the level. I almost feel like a cheat because although my job is helping other people, I’m also benefiting hugely from it.”
Drew volunteers for GMCC at a café where food is served at cost to members of the public and the homeless, in central Manchester. Mary Causer is his boss.
He said: “Working there has given me a massive boost, the trust Mary gives me and the enjoyment I get from helping the clients move on and get accommodation, benefits or help from other agencies is brilliant. I’ve built up the advice service from scratch. Initially there were only one or two clients, now there are 30 and we’ve taken on another volunteer. I’m proud of myself, I see my two children again and I have a partner and I’m enjoying my longest period out of prison.”
Mary praised Drew for the progress he has made and his eagerness to learn, and he is one of three people subject to probation that GMCC works with.
She added: “Many of our clients have benefitted from Drew’s support. They respect him and know he has had similar experiences to themselves. Part of GMCC’s ethos is to help ex-offenders into work and the volunteers that we have are doing extremely well.”
Drew, who is studying for his NVQ Level 4 thanks to funding from GMCC, is on licence and is supervised by probation officer Marvin Walters at Salford. Greater Manchester Probation Trust helped Drew get the placement at GMCC, also the Salford Intervention Team's Joanne Byers helped get funding for his bus fare for 12 weeks, thereby helping GMCC with their volunteer expenses.
Drew, who reports on a monthly basis, added: “Marvin has been extremely supportive and has visited GMCC to see the work I do. He has helped give me confidence and is trying to access charitable funding to support my volunteering. My hope for the future is that I can get a paid job with GMCC.”
He also volunteers with an outreach charity for the homeless in Salford called the Windsor Centre, and he helps deliver a victim awareness course at Buckley Prison.
He said: “I give the lads my story. I understand the majority on the course – just like I did – are doing it to help them get parole, but I also know that for a few of them it could really start them thinking.”
